Prevention of split laps



W. W. WERTH PREVENTION OF SPLIT LAPS Oct. 3, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed Oct. 1, 1959 INVENTOR. WILLIAM W. WERTH BY M fg ATTORNEY Oct. 3, 1961 w. w. WERTH 3,002,232

PREVENTION OF SPLIT LAPS Filed Oct. 1, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. WILLIAM w. WE RTH ATTORNEY Uni i d Sta es Pate ,fi ce 3,002,232 PREVENTION OF SPLIT LAPS William W. Werth, Douglas, Mass., assignor to Whitin Machine Works, Massachusetts Filed Oct. 1, 1959,-Se1'. No. 843,857 9 Claims. (Cl. 19 130) This invention relates to lap winders' and more particularly to means for preventing the splitting of a lap orlayer of cotton fibers as the lap is (later) unwound fromthe When the lap is then unwound, splitting occurs and of course affects adversely the uniformity .of the product thereafter in subsequent processes.

In the prior artit has been customary toattempt'to' provide the laps with a smoother. surface by trying to in-' sure that the fibers lie parallel; .but with modern draft-' ing machinery more drafting is employed and conse-- quently the fibers lie more parallel in thelap than heretofore. The degree'of parallelism of the fibers in modern machinery therefore results in the robbing of the fibers from one layer relative'to the next and this in turn occasions the splitting of the lap described above.

' The present inventor has discovered that if some fibers on the surfaces of the individual layers, or on the surfaces of the lap before the same is wound, are dislodged out of parallelism, this rob'bing'of the fibers by one layer from another is prevented. When the fibers are parallel, they are more easily inter meshed with eachv other, and thus adherent, between layers or laps- Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of means for effectively preventing adhesion between successive layers of the lap roll; the provision of means whereby some of the outermost fibers in the lap or layer are caused to change their orientation prior to the lap being woundin the lap roll, the provision of such means which may be made adjustable with relation to the thickness of the lap or the degree of fiber disanraugement or disorientation desired; and the provision of a simple and inexpensive device as described which is applicable to existing lap winding machines.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which.

FIG. 1 is a general longitudinal sectional view showmg a lap forming machine with the novel. device applied thereto, a

FIG. 2. is an enlarged end view of the novel device, looking inthe direction of arrow 2 in FIG. '1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, taken on line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a detail view illustrating certain par-ts of the device; part being in section; and

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional combined view of the upper and lower members of the device in open position wherein they are spread apart.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the ribbons of fibers 10 issuing from the drawing rolls 11 are laid as usual one above the other upon a table 12 along which the combined ribbons or lap is drawn by rolls 13. This lap is then passed through the condenser comprising the compres- Whitinsville, Mass, a corporation of' desired manner.

15 by which the lap is wound under pressure upon the spool S as. is usual.

Interposed between rolls 13 and the calender rolls 14, there .is positioned anovel device which comprises the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, this device comprises a pair of upper and a pair of lower spaced bars which extend transversely across the machine. number or combination of these bars may be used as desired while still coming within the purview of the invention.

The two lower bars shown in FIG. 1 are indicated by the reference numeral 20 and these are secured at their ends to'longitudinal end plates 21 and 22 as by screws 23 which are shown in FIG. 6. The top edges of the end plates 21 and 22 extend above the top edges of the bars 20 which may be beveled and polished.

The bars 20 and end plates 21 and 22 form a lower assembly which is supported on a bracket 24 by means of'bolts 25 or the like. The bracket may be secured by bolts 26 to the frame of the machine or in any other Plates 21 and .22 are provided with inclined transverse slots 27, said slots appearing in the top edges of end plates 21 and 22. The bottom edges of these slots both slant downwardly and to the right as shown clearly in FIG. 2. This construction is for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The upper bars are indicated by the reference numeral 30 and are secured to end plates 31 and 32 by screws 33, see FIGS. 3 and 5. End plates 21 and 22 are vertical but end plates 31 and 32 are horizontal. However, all of these plates extend general-1y longitudinally of the machine; Upper bars 30 and end plates 31 and 32 form an upper assembly which is separate from the lower assembly (bars"20 and plates 21 and 22).

One end plate 31 is provided with a depending flange or the like 34, this being threaded and receiving a thumbscrew 35 extending therethrough as shown in FIG. 2 and being preferably provided with a lock nut at 36. The lower surfaces of bars 30 at the ends thereof are beveled and polished. As indicated at 37 in FIG. 2, the left-hand end of bar 30 is located on a slant which extends upwardly and outwardly and at the other end thereof there is an equivalent slanted surface at 38 which extends downwardly and outwardly, originating in a notch located inwardly from the bottom edge of the bar 30 and indicated at 39. These slanted edge portions correspond to the slanting bottom surfaces of slots 27.

The slanted ends of the upper bars 30 lie within the slots 27 of the plates 21 and 22 and thus the top assembly is located in more or less fixed relation with respect to the bottom assembly with regard to a longitudinal direction through the machine. However, the slanted bar ends at 37 and 38 rest directly on the inclined bottoms of grooves 27 as'is clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Were it not for the inner end of the thumb-screw 35, the slanted ends 37 and 38 of the upper bars 30 would cause the same to ride to the right and downwardly in FIG. 2, but as shown in FIG. 2, the position shown is maintained by the thumb-screw, and of course may be adjusted to vary the vertical position of the bars 30 relative to the bars 20. As shown in FIG. 2, these bars slightly overlap and this is also shown in FIG. 4 and indicated in FIG. 1.

When threading a fresh lap through the machine, the operator merely lifts and separates the upper assembly, including bars 30, 30 from the lower assembly including bars 20, 20, see FIG. 7. When the threading is completed, the upper bars being then again in the slots of the end plates of the lower assembly and the end of the screw 35 again engaging the end plate 21.

This imposes the sinuous path P on the lap as it travels Patented Oct. 3, 1961 Any through the device, FIG.

overlapping of the. lower edges of bars 30 with the upper edges of bars 20, the'greater the sinuosity will be. This adjustment must. be. made according. to the thickness of the lap and the degreefof actuation or fiber disarrange rrient which is desired in order to, prevent the lapsv splitting as. previously described,

Having thus described my invention and the advantages. thereof, I do, not wish to. be limited to the details herein. disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but'what I claim is: i i

l. A lap treating machine comprising drawing rolls for drawing a lap of substantially parallel fibers in the machine, a condenser, upper and lower bars between the condenser and drawing rolls. forming fiber engaging surfaces extending at an angle. to the direction of travel of the lap, the upper bar having a free lower edge and the lower bar having a free upper edge, and means to mount said bars in position to engage their tree edges. with opposite sides. of the. lap prior to the entrance thereof into the condenser, and means to adjust the relation of the edges of said bars for overlap thereofin the direction of motion of the lap. i

2. A lap treating machine comprising drawing rolls for drawing a lap of substantially parallel fibers in the machine, a condenser, means between the condenser and drawing rolls forming a fiber engaging surf-ace extending approximately at right angles to the direction of travel of the lap, and means. to mount the fiber engaging surface in position to engage at least one side of the lap and bend and cause it to follow a sinuous path to disturb the parallelism of said fibers while maintaining the width of said lap substantially constant prior to the entrance thereof into thecondenser.

3. A lap treating machine according to claim 2 wherein the fiber engaging surface comprises upper and lower bars, the upper bar having a free lower edge and the lower bar having a free upper edge.

4. A lap winding machine comprising drawing rolls, a table. upon which a plurality of ribbons of fibers issuing from said drawing rolls are superposed, a condenser, means drawing the superposed ribbons to and through the condenser, a winding drum for winding the condensed ribbons onto a spool, and'means interposed between the drawing rolls and the condenser through which the ribbons of fibers are directed,said means comprising an upper and ,a lower assembly, said upper assembly including at least one bar having -a lower free edge, said bar extending transversely of the machine, the lower assembly comprising at least one bar extending transversely of the machine and having an upper free edge, the bar of one assembly being arranged in offset spaced relationship with the bar of the other assembly, the ribbons of fibers passing over the edge of, the. bar of the lower assembly and under the edge of the bar of the upper assembly and in contact therewith, said bars impressing a sinuous passage to said ribbons of fibers.

5. The lap winding machine of claim 4 wherein each assembly includes a pair of spaced parallel bars, the bars of the respective assemblies being relatively staggered.

6. A lap winding machine comprising drawing rolls, a table upon which -a plurality of ribbons of fibers issuing from said drawing rolls are superposed; a condenser,

ean 'dta ns; the nern sed ribb ns t and thro gh the.

condensen. awinding forwindingthe condensed ribbons onto a spool, means interposed between the drawing rolls and the condenser through which the ribbons of fibers are directed, said means-comprising an upper and a lower assembly, said upper assembly including at least one bar havinga lower free edge, saidbar extending transversely of the mael ine the. lower assembly comprising at least one bar extending t iansversely. of the machine and having an upper free edge, and, means, providing for adjustment of said assemblies to and from, each other, the.

bar of one assembly being arranged, in offset spaced relationship with the bar of the other assemblyrt e. free edges of the bars overlapping, said adjustme t providing for a variable overlap of the free edge ofthe bar of, the. upper assembly with respect to the free edge of the, bar of the lower assembly, the ribbons of; liberspassing over the edge of the bar ofthe lower assembly and under the edge of for engaging at least one sid'eof said lap and bending said the bar of the upper assembly and. in contact therewith. 7. The lap winding machine of claim 6 wherein the, ad.-

justment of the two assemblies provides for an'inerease or decrease selectively of the sinuosity of'the ribbon of fiberspassing the edges. of said bars,

8. A lap treating machine comprisingdrawing rolls for drawing a lap of substantially parallel fibers. in the machine, a condenser, means extending substantially transversely of said lap between said condenser and said rolls lap to cause it to follow a. sinuous path andther'eby disturb the parallelism of at least some of the fibers thereof while maintaining the width of the lap substantially constant, and means to mount the lap bending means in position to engage at least one side of the lap prior to the entrance thereof into the condenser.

9. A lap treating machine comprising drawing rolls for drawing a lap of fibers in he machine, acondenser, means spaced apart lengthwise of said lap between said condenser and said rolls for engaging opposite sides of said lap and bending it in opposite directions to cause said lap to follow a sinuous path and thereby disturb the parallelism of at least some of' said fibers in said lap while maintaining the width of the lap substantially constant,

- and means to mount the lap. bending means in position to engage both sides of said lap prior to the entrance thereof into the condenser. i

1,351,678 Nuckols Aug. 31,1920 1,727,764 Gibbs 1 Sept. 10, 1929 2,137,908 Gies Nov. 22, 1938 2,618,023 Keene Nov, 1-8, 1952 2,896,268 Garden July 28, 1959 

